“Father,
they are your gift to me.” – John 17:24
They were blessings I thoroughly
enjoyed – a gym and a yoga studio right outside our village. I could leave my
house 10 minutes before the classes start. I could even walk there and back
again if I wasn’t in a rush.
When the gym closed for
renovation and my yoga teacher opened his own studio in the next town (yes, the
next town, not the next village or the next barangay but the next TOWN!), I now
had to make an hour-long trip just to practice yoga.
I wondered why the Lord
would do such a thing – take away the convenience of workout places just a skip
and a hop away from my house. Did he want my love handles to balloon from lack
of exercise so I can just roll like a ball instead of walk? I don’t think so. I
know God’s plan is always for our good, so a trim and healthy “me” would be His
grand design.
I wondered why He would let
me take the long trip just to exercise when He very well knew my driver’s
license has a restriction: I can only drive within a 10 kilometer radius. My
license beeps like an ankle monitor when I go past my set boundaries. (Kidding –
I just hate driving to far places!)
Then I realized that
needing a ride to get to the yoga studio is a blessing. I have gotten to know my
yoga classmates better. God gave me the gift of new friends.
Before, I would just say hi
and hello and then I’m off. I knew their names and not much more. The long ride
to and from the yoga studio gave me the chance to connect, to take a peek into
their lives and to form bonds of friendship.
